The present invention relates to street lighting in general and the advantages to be gained by exploiting the'ubiquitous availability of street light supports to carry additional useful, powered equipment such as traffic cameras, air quality monitoring devices and telecommunication transceivers. This invention further relates to light fixtures, preferably light fixtures having solid state lighting (preferably a light-emitting diode light unit (LED)) and, more particularly, to a solid state light device or fixture that includes at least one power over Ethernet (POE) power sourcing device that may be used to source power and provide a data connection to one or more powered devices that may be either internally or externally affixed to the light fixture or located proximate to the light fixture.
The light fixture of the present invention is suitable for use in connection with any kind of lighting source, including incandescent bulbs, arc lamps, fluorescent tubes, induction lighting and solid state lighting. The light fixture of the present invention is particularly adapted for use as an outdoor street light fixture. The presently preferred lighting source for use in connection with the present invention is solid state lighting, such as an LED light unit.
The term “solid state” is commonly used to refer to light emitted by solid-state electroluminescence, as opposed to incandescent bulbs or fluorescent tubes. LED Solid-State Lighting (SSL) refers to a type of lighting that uses semiconductor light-emitting diodes, organic light emitting diodes, or polymer light-emitting diodes as the source of illumination.
Light Emitting Diode (“LED”) light units are an increasingly popular form of solid state lighting. LED light units (LED bulbs) offer many advantages over incandescent lighting, including lower energy consumption, longer life and ease of control. As the cost of LED light units are reduced, LED light units are being used in more diverse applications, including indoor and outdoor illumination. Solid-state lighting is often used in traffic lights and is quickly becoming the light engine choice for development in modern vehicle lights, street lights, tunnel lights, parking lot lights, indoor parking garages, area flood lights, building exteriors, bill board signage, and indoor commercial and residential lighting.
A light fixture includes a connection to an external power supply. When the light fixture is a table lamp, the connection is typically provided by a common plug plugged into a electrical wall socket or power strip and the housing of the light fixture has its own base upon which to rest. However, when the light fixture is an outdoor light fixture, such as a street light, mounted upon a utility pole or other elevated support, significant costs are incurred in providing a connection between the external power supply and the light fixture. Typically, a wired connection is made through the inside of the utility pole and into the light fixture through the light fixture mount to a terminal block inside the light fixture. This arrangement keeps the wiring for the light from being exposed to the elements. When the pole is made of wood, however, the wiring is external on the pole side, but enters the light fixture at a weatherproof connector or port in the light fixture housing before connecting to the terminal block.
For street lighting applications, it is desirable to mount additional types of powered devices to the light, mounting arm between the light and pole, utility pole or other lighting structures to provide any one of numerous complimentary services or capabilities. This placement takes advantage of the high vantage point offered by these structures, which are densely scattered throughout populated areas and are common even in relatively unpopulated areas.
It is even more desirable for such powered devices to be adapted in such a manner as to be able to send and receive digital data, thereby enabling remote control of the powered device and for the remote device to transmit data, such as a video feed via a wireless, hard-wired or fiber optic Internet haul connection to a central communication and control computer where the data can be put to further useful purpose. Such additional powered devices include, but are not limited to, control units for the lights, control units for other powered devices, computer networking devices, network switches, network routers, security cameras, traffic cameras, video cameras, still-photography cameras, other surveillance equipment, rain sensors, air quality sensors, chemical sensors, radiation sensors, light sensors, temperature sensors, wind sensors, humidity sensors, air pressure sensors, wireless access points, wireless data uplink units, wireless data receivers, telecommunication transmitters and receivers, two way radios, VOIP telephones, energy consumption meters, heating devices, cooling devices, fans, heat sinks, memory devices, or any other powered device desired and adaptable for attachment to a light fixture, such as a street light.
Until now, the usefulness of attaching such desired powered devices to utility poles has been tempered by the additional costs associated with installing a separate and metered connection for such powered devices to an external power source. Such separate power connections currently require additional wiring installed by a licensed electrician and attachment to the pole. Even for a small city or town, the cost of adding additional power supply hook-ups, with or without meters, to the tops of hundreds of utility poles scattered over hundreds of square miles is prohibitive. Similarly, providing a digital data back haul communication link with such powered devices can be even more expensive.
Additionally, the installation, repair, service, maintenance, upgrading or replacement of such powered devices is an added burden when the powered devices are hard-wired to an external power supply. For example, where the effort has been made to install an air quality sensor atop a utility pole, even upgrading the sensor can be burdensome as it would typically require someone with an electrical and/or telecommunications background to travel to each far-flung device to disconnect the hard-wired power supply and telecommunications link and reconnect the new, upgraded sensor.
There exists a need for an improved means for providing power and digital data communication connections to powered devices atop utility poles.
There also exists a need for simplifying the ability to easily interchange or replace powered devices that are situated atop utility poles. There also exists a need for reducing initial installation costs associated with such powered devices.
There also exists a need for remotely monitoring the status and power usage of powered devices installed in outdoor locations.